As the Days Pass By
by rye-chan
Summary: While waiting for their sensei at the bridge, Sakura starts putting Naruto down only to be snapped at by the sick blonde. Sasuke steps in, Sakura gets put down, and Naruto collapses. What happened to Naruto and what is sasuke's reaction? Find out.
1. Chapter 1

As the Days Pass By

Chapter One: Unexpected Protector

It was December 14th and a sixteen year old ninja with spiked blonde hair and bright blue eyes was walking through his freezing, snow covered village. His name is Naruto Uzumaki and his reason for being out in the c old weather was that his team, consisting of Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and their sensei Kakashi Hatake, were meeting up at their usual meeting place.

Grumbling to himself while glaring at the grey sky, Naruto cursed the too cold weather. He hated the cold, he had a pretty high fever because of it and, as an added factor, didn't have good winter clothes. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt under an orange and black jacket. His pants were black jeans instead of thick warm sweat pants that he wished he had.

Shivering as a fierce wind kicked up, signaling the blizzard that was soon to start, Naruto folded his arms across his chest, trying to stay as warm as possible. The blonde ninja had no idea why his team's sensei would schedule a meeting outside when he could have just used the damn phone to call everyone. Apparently Kakashi just liked tormenting his students for entertainment.

"Damn you Kakashi! Why did you have to make me leave my warm bed you asshole!!" Naruto growled out through chattering teeth.

The cold air blew around the shivering teen making his already bad mood worse. He continued down the deserted streets of Konoha and arrived at the bridge. Naruto noticed his fellow ninja, Sasuke and Sakura, were already there. As he approached, Naruto noticed his team mates had hot steamy cups of tea and he glared at the ground in envy.

Walking over to a railing post, the blonde sat down, brining his knees to his chest. He kept his arms between his legs and chest while he rested his chin on his knees. It was silent except for the frigid winds until Sakura cleared her throat. The way she did it was as if she were getting ready to lecture, or rather irritate the blonde.

Gritting his teeth to keep from snapping at the pink haired kunoichi, Naruto continued glaring at the ground in silence. He heard footsteps coming closer to him and he closed his eyes. Knowing it was Sakura who now stood three feet from him, the feeling of someone else's gaze crept up the blonde's body. He ignored it though.

Naruto had a feeling it was Sasuke who was staring at him. No one else was there at the moment so it was obvious to the blonde. Hearing Sakura shift her weight from one foot to the other made Naruto look up. He immediately regretted it. The pink blob was wearing a look of mock triumph directed towards the still shivering blonde. Naruto groaned to himself, knowing full well what was gonna happen next.

"You look cold Naruto." The kunoichi stated.

Naruto gave the girl no response but glared.

"It's your own fault though. The clothes you're wearing are way too thin for such cold weather." Sakura finished in a satisfied way.

The only reason the pink haired girl even said anything to the blonde was to impress her crush. She figured Sasuke would find her more attractive and likeable if she treated Naruto like he didn't matter. The action had the opposite effect. Sasuke despised her more than he eve has. He couldn't stand how Sakura treated Naruto and if she tried hitting him like she usually does, the raven planned on stopping the pointless attack this time.

Sakura continued on lecturing and putting the blonde down until Naruto finally snapped.

"SHUT THE HELL UP SAKURA!" The blonde shouted angrily, "I don't give a fuck what you have to say so do us all a favor and shut your damn mouth!"

Sakura's jaw dropped. She could not believe what Naruto had just said to her or how ferocious his tone of voice was. The shock was short lived though. The pink haired kunoichi glared daggers at Naruto while stomping over the rest of the way to him.

She raised her fist, getting ready to pound the blonde into the ground. Just as her fist was about to make contact with it's mark though, Naruto disappeared. Confusion overtook Sakura's face as she stared at the spot her blonde team mate had been moment before. As she looked to her left she noticed that Sasuke was also gone. Just when Sakura was about to start freaking out, mainly about Sasuke's disappearance, she heard a noise to her right.

Turning the opposite direction she was just looking, her jaw dropped immediately at the sight before her. Naruto was being held bridal style, face more red than before, by the stoic heart throb of Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha. The blonde ninja had a look of shocked surprise on his face, staring at the raven haired teen who was still holding him.

"S-Sasuke…why are you…why are you holding Naruto?" Sakura struggled out, trying to get a hold of the situation.

"Are you really that stupid?" The raven asked the pink blob before him, "He was sitting down before. How else would he have ended up like this?"

"B-but why?!" The kunoichi asked, still confused.

"What do you think? You were about to attack him, Sakura." Sasuke responded, glaring at the foolish girl.

"He deserved it though! He was-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Sasuke hissed, cutting the girl off before she could finish, "You're the one that provoked him to begin with you stupid bitch!"

"Wha-what do you mean I provoked him?! All I did was-"

"Piss him off by degrading him. You know Naruto hates the cold and it always puts him in a bad mood. Messing with him only makes it worse." Sasuke interrupted again.

Sakura couldn't respond. She could not believe that Sasuke, her Sasuke, was defending and protecting Naruto. As the pink haired menace tried to get a better handle on the situation again, Sasuke carefully let Naruto down but kept an arm around the small blonde's waist.

Naruto, face still red from his fever and blush, looked at his raven haired team mate in uncertainty. Sasuke was still glaring at the pink blob until he felt a gaze on himself. Looking down, the raven saw bright blue eyes staring at him, slight nervousness flashing across the younger teen's face.

"What's wrong Naruto?" The stoic teen asked, concern slipping into his voice.

"Uh…I was…why would you, I mean you hate me right? Why would you keep Sakura from hitting me? Any other time you wouldn't-" Naruto was cut off by a sudden coughing fit.

Covering his mouth with a hand, Naruto turned away from Sasuke. Once the blonde was able to stop coughing he got extremely light headed. Naruto swayed dangerously close to the river's edge and after he lost his balance he fell. Acting fast, Sasuke grabbed the blonde's wrist and quickly pulled the younger teen into his arms.

"Naruto?! Are you okay?!" Sasuke asked, worry in his voice and etched across his face.

The blonde looked up into the onyx eyes of his friend and rival, his vision going in and out of focus.

"Sas.." Naruto, once again, was cut off from speaking as everything around him began to spin. As the blonde collapsed in Sasuke's arms, the world around him went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

New Feelings, Second Kiss

Sasuke was pacing back and forth outside the hospital room door. He was thinking about Naruto, wondering if the small blonde would be okay. When the younger teen first passed out the raven panicked and scooped Naruto up in to his arms, carrying him to the hospital.

It had been a half an hour since Naruto was first taken into room 237. Upon first arriving, Sasuke hoped that the Hokage, lady Tsunade, would be there. When he burst through the front doors Tsunade was the first person the raven laid eyes on.

He rushed Naruto to the blonde woman and she took action immediately. Taking the unconscious blonde from the raven's arms, Tsunade yelled for her assistant, Shizune. As the two older women rushed down the hall, Sasuke followed, his worry for the younger teen keeping him from staying behind.

Before Shizune closed the door to room 237 she told Sasuke to wait outside. Once she said that Shizune closed the door, leaving the raven in his worried state. Thus the raven teen's emotionless mask fell to the ground and shattered.

Still he paces as time ticks slowly by, causing his worry to increase with every second that passes. Sasuke glanced at the door every time he passed by waiting, listening for the door to open once more. every time he heard a noise his head would snap to the hospital room door, eyes going wide in hope and fear.

His hope crashed every time for the door remained closed, ever motionless as before. Sasuke cursed the noises around him, giving the raven false hope. Sighing miserably to himself, the raven finally sat down in the chair directly across from room 237.

Once seated, Sasuke put his head on his hands, feeling more alone at that moment than ever before. An hour and a half passed by and still the raven waited. He leaned back in his chair after a while, knocking his head against the wall in frustration. A few minutes later the raven haired teen fell asleep.

It felt like he was asleep for hours before someone tapped him on his shoulder, waking him from his very light slumber. As Sasuke opened his dark, onyx colored eyes he came to see who it was that woke him up. His heart started to race as he jumped out of his seat, bombarding Tsunade with questions.

"Is Naruto okay? What caused him to pass out? What-"

"Sasuke calm down!!" Tsunade interrupted the worried teen, "Naruto is going to be alright. He passed out because of a very high fever." She finished.

"What caused the fever?" Sasuke asked, calming down some at last.

Tsunade looked at the sixteen year old ninja before her, seeing concern in his eyes and across his features for the first time. She sighed before giving Sasuke an answer.

"Pneumonia." Was the Hokage's only response.

The blonde haired woman watched as Sasuke's eyes widened, the worry that was slowly dieing away coming back full force. Before the raven haired teen started to panic again, Tsunade placed her hands his shoulders and looked directly into his dark, seemingly endless eyes.

"Sasuke, listen to me. Naruto is going to be fine, I promise you that. However, he's going to have to stay in the hospital for a few days. He's very weak now and his body is fighting hard against the infection. I've also given him antibiotics to help so there is nothing to worry about, understand?" Tsunade finished.

The raven haired teen looked away from the Hokage and nodded his head 'yes', sorrow clearly visible in his eyes. Sighing to herself, Tsunade lifted the boys head to face her once again.

"Would you like to see him?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise but nodded his head in response. The older woman smiled gently and led him into Naruto's room. Before Tsunade left though she tapped Sasuke on his shoulder. He turned around to look at the Hokage.

"What is it?" The raven asked.

"Would you like to stay past visiting hours?" Tsunade asked.

"I…yeah. Are you sure I can?" Sasuke inquired, not wanting to get in trouble by other hospital employees.

"Yes, it's fine. I'll just inform the staff so they don't give you a had time and try to kick you out."

"Alright, um, thanks." The raven responded, turning back to face his sleeping team mate.

Sasuke slowly and quietly approached the bed Naruto was on, sitting on the chair beside him. He quickly glanced over his shoulder only to see that the Hokage had left. Letting out a sigh to help relieve the tension that had steadily built, Sasuke turned back to face the sleeping blonde once again.

Leaning foreword, the normally emotionless ninja reached out and placed a hand against Naruto's warm cheek, stroking the whisker like marks. Concern flashed into his eyes once more as Sasuke noticed the blonde's eye lids flicker slightly. Standing up from his chair, the raven sat beside the slowly waking blonde on the bed, waiting.

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered gently, hoping he wasn't just seeing things.

Slowly bright blue eyes opened to see dark onyx ones staring into them intently. Blinking away the blurriness, Naruto saw his raven haired teammate more clearly, sitting beside him. His gorgeous blue eyes half lidded, Naruto tried to sit up. He was stopped though, feeling a strong yet gentle hand push him back down.

Getting the hint not to move around, Naruto laid back down against his pillows. Sasuke placed one of his hands against his sick friends forehead, feeling how warm the blonde was. Naruto's temperature had gone down but was now staying at a steady 102 degrees. The raven removed his hand and placed it on his leg, looking at Naruto all the while.

"Sasuke…" The younger teen spoke, voice barely audible.

"What is it Naruto? Do you need something?" The older of the two asked, worried.

"I…I didn't say this earlier…" Naruto continued just as quietly as before.

"Didn't say what?" Sasuke asked, confusion showing on his face.

"Thank you." The blonde answered, a small smile spreading across his lips.

--

It had been a week since Sasuke first rushed Naruto to the hospital after collapsing and the raven remained by his blonde friends side the whole time. For the most part Naruto slept, his fever and fighting off the pneumonia exhausting him. Both Tsunade and Shizune had come to check on the sick blonde many times through out the week only to find him and Sasuke sleeping peacefully.

On the eighth day Tsunade was checking over Naruto, making sure all traces of the infection were gone. He still had a slightly high temperature but it was nothing to worry about. As the Hokage finished Naruto's check up she looked directly into his sapphire eyes, a stern look on her face.

"I am going to release you from the hospital today Naruto. BUT, you still need a few more days of bed rest. Until your fever is completely gone I don't want to hear about you stepping one foot out of bed, got it?" Tsunade finished, her voice matching her stern look.

"Er…yeah…" Naruto responded slightly afraid of the look the Hokage was giving him.

"Why don't I believe you? Oh, that's right, because you won't listen. That's why I have arranged for someone to stay with you until your fever is gone."

"WHAT?! WHO?!" Naruto shouted outraged.

"Sakura Haruno."

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Sasuke and Naruto yelled out at the same time. The raven was pissed while the blonde was terrified of being left alone with Sakura after what happened at the bridge.

Tsunade massaged her throbbing temples from the sudden headache she received from the sudden outbursts by the two teens. Sighing in agitation the blonde woman looked at the two teenagers before her. She noticed how Sasuke moved to Naruto's side and was now sitting, very close, beside him. Sudden images began flashing through her mind of the boys doing very naughty things together. A bright red blush cascaded across Tsunade's face as she got a pretty bad nosebleed.

These things didn't go unnoticed by the two teens before her though. They saw everything and both had raised one eyebrow in a 'what the hell is going on with her' way. Still the two watched the Hokage as she fixed herself up and fought back the very hot images now embedded in her mind.

_I'm turning into a female version of Jiraiya._ Tsunade thought now feeling extremely disturbed by the thought.

"Fine, if not Sakura than you will look after him Mr. Uchiha. Understood?" The blonde woman growled out.

Both boys nodded their heads in agreement, each sporting a bright blush. Tsunade walked out of the room then, heading back to the Hokage tower for more work. Sasuke got down from the bed and Naruto followed seconds after only for his knees to buckle beneath him. The raven haired teen caught the blonde before he hit the floor and held him close. Naruto rested his head against Sasuke's chest, enjoying the warmth and feeling of safety his friend gave him.

Naruto was still pretty exhausted from everything and his body proved it when his knees couldn't hold him up for more that few seconds. Sasuke figured the blonde would most likely have trouble walking if he couldn't even stand up on his own yet. Getting a startled squeak from Naruto, Sasuke scooped the tired blonde into his arms, bridal style.

"W-what the hell s-Sasuke?" Naruto said through lightly chattering teeth.

The blonde began shivering a little in the raven's arms so he placed Naruto on the bed while he wrapped the younger teen in a blanket. Once again Sasuke picked Naruto up bridal style and headed out the door. Knowing arguing about being carried was futile, Naruto released a tired sigh and rested his head on Sasuke's shoulder. Within minutes the small blonde was sleeping soundly in his friend's warm arms. The raven couldn't help but smile a little at the cute, sleeping bundle in his arms and held Naruto even closer to his chest.

Sasuke thought it would be better for Naruto if he stayed at the raven's home instead of his own apartment. The raven didn't get many visitors, not that he complained, so it was less likely that the blonde would be woken up if someone came knocking. It took about forty five minutes until Sasuke finally arrived home. He unlocked and opened his front door with some difficulty, not wanting to disturb his sleeping friend. Once inside, the young Uchiha closed the door and headed to his bedroom.

The Uchiha house was all one floor. It had paper sliding doors that led out to the wrap around deck that traveled all around the house. Even though Sasuke was now the only one living there, it was kept up pretty well by the young teen. The walls of the house were an off white color while the floor was made of a light hardwood that shined from being waxed. There used to be pictures lining the walls of Sasuke's family but he had long since removed them, he didn't want to be reminded of his painful past anymore than he already was.

The furniture in the living room was a light blue while the carpet was a navy blue. The kitchen had a small wooden table with comfy cushions surrounding it on the floor. Sasuke's room had blue walls with red and white fans bordering the top near the ceiling. His room was rather big but not very decorated. He had his bed against one wall, parallel to the French doors that replaced the paper ones a few years ago. In fact Sasuke intended to replace all the paper doors with glass ones instead, French style and sliding.

His dresser was on the opposite wall from his bed and on it he had a TV, DVD player. Beside his dresser was a book shelf on the left and on the right side was a movie stand holding quite a few DVDs. He had black curtains hanging up to block out the light that leaked through the glass doors when the sun rose in the morning. At the moment the curtains were open.

Sasuke pulled back the blanket and top sheet of his bed and gently placed Naruto on his bed, covering him up after. The blonde rolled onto his side facing the doors and scrunched his eyes from the bright afternoon sun. The raven quickly walked over to the doors and pulled the curtains closed. He walked back over to Naruto and placed a hand on his friend's forehead. Naruto's temperature had risen a few degrees so it was now 101 instead of 99.7.

Sasuke walked into his bathroom that was attached to his bedroom, the door being next to the book shelf. He grabbed a cloth and turned the faucet on, soaking it under the cold running water. Satisfied the drenched cloth, the raven wrung it out some so it wasn't dripping all over the place. He went back to his bed and sat beside Naruto, placing the cold compress on his over heated forehead.

The sudden coldness startled the blonde and woke him up, blinking his eyes blearily. Naruto looked up to Sasuke as the raven stroked the blonde's cheek gently. This kind gesture made Naruto blush a bright red. Sasuke chuckled at how cute Naruto looked and smiled warmly at his friend. The small blonde smiled back as he slowly sat up. Onyx eyes locked with sapphire ones as time and space seemed to vanish around them.

Very slowly the two shinobi leaned in, neither breaking eye contact. A few centimeters separated their lips but even that distance disappeared. Sasuke and Naruto closed the remaining space between them, kissing a second time in four years. The two finally closed their eyes as Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck, Sasuke's arms going around Naruto's waist and pulling the blonde onto his lap. The raven then gently nipped at Naruto's bottom lip asking for entry into his warm cavern.

The blonde parted his lips and felt the raven slip his tongue inside. For a short time Sasuke's tongue wandered around Naruto's mouth, memorizing every crevice and his taste. Wanting to taste Sasuke, Naruto kissed back and the raven let him wander around his mouth memorizing everything just as he had done before. Both satisfied with their wanderings, their tongues met at last in a smooth, blissful dance.

As the two kissed passionately Sasuke lightly pushed Naruto back onto the bed while he laid on top of the blonde. Naruto entangled his fingers in Sasuke's silken dark locks as the raven did the same to the soft blonde locks. Sooner than either wanted, their lungs need for oxygen became way too great to ignore any further and the two broke their kiss at last.

Panting heavily, Sasuke and Naruto locked gazes once more as the raven rested his forehead against his blonde's slightly warmer one. They smiled at each other, love clearly present in both dark and bright eyes. Sasuke then got up and laid beside Naruto, pulling his blond into his arms. He felt the younger teen shiver again and wrapped the blanket from the hospital, the sheet and comforter around his love, covering himself as well.

"Does this mean we're together now Sasuke?" Naruto whispered out sleepily.

"Only if you want it be that way Naruto." Sasuke answered, stroking the soft blonde locks of his love.

Naruto smiled warmly as he snuggled against his Sasuke, kissing the warm, pale neck gently.

"Yeah…I do."

With those whispered words full of love, the new couple fell into a deep sleep, neither waking until the next day.


End file.
